A Note To
Querying
Authors
Headwater Literary Management enthusiastically welcomes submissions by creators of marginalized identities, and we encourage authors to send us books featuring characters of marginalized identities.
We acknowledge that the new trend of requiring authors to self-identify as marginalized in their submissions can be harmful, painful, and uncomfortable. It also puts agents in a position to police the identities of authors, which perpetuates structural prejudices already far too common in publishing.
While authors are encouraged to share however much of themselves they’re comfortable with, writers submitting work to us will never be asked to defend or explain their identities, and clients will never have their identities spoken about as “trendy” or used as a sales tactic.
SUBMISSION
REQUIREMENTS
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Please follow standard query letter format. Review our Resources for more details.
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While we encourage authors to query simultaneously across agencies, please only query one Headwater agent at a time. Look at our Agent page to find the best one for you.
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Do not email your query; Submit through QueryManager. All emailed queries will be automatically deleted.
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Please do not check-in or follow up on submissions unless six months have passed since the date of request; this does not apply to notices of other offers of representation. You are also welcome and encouraged to withdraw and resubmit your submission at any time if you've made substantial changes to your manuscript.
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We will respond to every query with either a yes or a no. No response simply means that the agent hasn’t gotten to it yet or is interested but needs to spend more time with it.
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Our agency-wide goal is to answer a query within 4-6 weeks and respond to a full manuscript request within 4-6 months. Please think of these timelines as aspirational guidelines rather than hard deadlines.
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We are typically unable to provide querying authors with feedback. If you need assistance with your query, check out our Resources page for a link to our favorites!
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Do not requery the same project to the same agent after a rejection without substantial changes to your submission package.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: Headwater has recently been made aware of scams that involve the impersonation of literary agents—including HLM agents—in order to coerce writers into committing to false "representation" contracts that include up-front fees. No reputable agent will ever ask you for money, and any email that claims to be from a Headwater agent asking for money as part of a representation agreement is a scam. If you ever have a question as to whether you are in communication with an actual member of Headwater Literary Management, please send an email to hello@headwaterliterary.com.
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ERIK HANE
ERIK HANE
...looking for writers who bring a
clear-eyed sense
of the stakes of this political and historical moment to their writing.
LAURA ZATS
LAURA ZATS
...wants authors who build their
long-term careers
in ways that contribute positively to their financial and mental health, as well as the greater community.